Speck
by beifongfirebender
Summary: A few moments in the life of Bumi and Izumi's daughter...


_**So this is a short one-shot of Bumizumi and their kid. I don't really care I ship this and no one can stop me… XD**_

_**Some time jumps, hope it's understandable…**_

**oooooooooo**

"Hello, Katara, it's Izumi. I was just putting Thi Na in the bath, well, trying to, and she just won't stop screaming and kicking. I'm afraid she'll hurt herself and I still didn't get her in."

"Hello, Katara, I can't get her out this time. I don't know if this kind of thing ever happened to you, but she just keeps shrieking and biting. I don't know what to do… Iroh never did things like this."

"Hi, Mom. Bumi. Hypothetically, if you weren't sure if a toddler ate a bunch of dirt or not, what would you do, and would it be dangerous? Theoretically, of course…"

"Hello, Katara. Izumi. Thi Na broke her leg and I'm trying to keep her still on the bed, but she's kicking so much I'm afraid she'll break her cast. Do you have an advice, I'm completely lost?"

"Hi, Mom. It's your favorite son! Say you wanted to get an impossibly hyper preschooler to sleep without tying her to the bed, how would you go about it? If you don't pick up Thi Na and I are coming for a little midnight visit."

**oooooooooo**

Bumi walked through the Fire Lord's palace and towards the throne room. It used to bother him how much the guards disliked his presence, but either they were becoming accustomed to him, or he just missed his girls that much, but the glares didn't ruin his mood in the very slightest.

"Commander Bumi of the Second Division of the United Forces," a bald man announced him as he stepped into the giant room, head held high. He relaxed the second he realized neither the Fire Lord nor his wife were present.

"Son of Avatar Aang and Master-"

"We know who he is…" Izumi interrupted the introduction from the Fire Lord's spot.

"Daddy!" The little girl who'd been playing with figurines just a second ago at Izumi's feet, broke into a sprint, her bare feet hitting the cold stone until she found Bumi's arms. He lifted her up, although not as easily as the last time he was here. Still, his daughter was quite small for a seven-year-old.

"Hey, Speck!" He kissed the girl's nose, since her forehead and half of her eyes were covered by the metal helmet she wore. It used to be his, back when they tried to make it part of the United Forces uniform. Happily, it hadn't lived so he was allowed to do with it as he wished, and he gave it to his daughter, Princess Thi Na. Of course, he had no idea then that the girl would refuse to part with it for the following two years.

"Commander." She tried a salute while still being carried. "How are our troops?"

Bumi chuckled. "Tip-top shape." He lowered her so he could take in how much she'd changed. She was wearing a long, expensive-looking red dress over bare feet. That was typical, he'd never known a kid with a bigger grudge against shoes. The helmet covered about half of her wild, brown hair, while the other half hung down past her shoulders. She was probably growing it out to be more like her mommy.

"We were expecting you a week ago," Izumi said, slowly walking toward them. She was referring to their daughter's birthday party he'd missed.

"Yeah, about that…" Bumi crouched down to Thi Na's level. "I really thought I was going to make it, Speck, but there was this civil uprising and… That means there were some Earth Kingdom people who were being very, very naughty and your old Da had to show them some consequences." It hurt him more than he could say to miss his daughter's birthday like his father missed most of his. One thing Bumi did, that Aang never could, was radio home on the day. Bumi made his entire battalion sing to her this year, but he couldn't leave a mission so soon after being named a commander.

"You gotta do, what you gotta do…" The little princess touched his shoulder like he's the one who was supposed to be sad he missed the party. That was another difference, Bumi's little girl wasn't a whinny brat like he'd been to his father for many years.

"Thi, you want to find yourself some shoes and go play with your father in the gardens?" Izumi offered, while keeping a few steps of distance from the two.

The girl looked from her father to her mother, then again to her father before whispering: "Are you in trouble?"

"No, Speck. This time your Mom's in trouble. How about you go get those shoes?" He stood up and rocked her helmet a bit out of place, before she slipped from him and scurried out of the room, almost tripping over her dress with every step.

"It's not funny when you tell her stuff like that." Izumi barely had time to finish a sentence, before his hands were on her waist, his lips on hers.

"I am mad, but I've also not seen you for months," he said after noticing the puzzled look on her face. And just like that they kissed again, deeper, hungrier.

"Prince Iroh!" yelled the announcer and Bumi was never more thankful the man was there, since he had time to step away from the Prince's mother before the boy entered. He was carrying a heavy, black book in his hands.

"Oh, I haven't realized you… I'll come back." He'd made it to half of the room, before realizing his mother wasn't alone.

"You can tell me right now, dear," Izumi offered, but Iroh just stared at Bumi.

"No, it doesn't matter. It's a geometry question. I'll just wait for Grandfather to be back. Or I'll ask Azula."

"Wait, I thought school didn't start for another month?" Bumi cut in, and Iroh shot him another, more direct glare.

"And I suppose I'm expected to master everything in this book in the whole three days they'll talk about it in class?! Or is it supposed to happen on its own without my involvement?!"

"Iroh," Izumi warned.

"No, really, it's on me, Izumi," Bumi said. "How about we switch to something more fun. Like what I got you from the Water Tribe." He reached into his bag and dragged out a set of black throwing knives. His uncle insisted they were the best by far. He handed them to Prince Iroh.

"You should give them to Thi Na. I'll never have time to use them, anyway." Saying that, Iroh turned around and left them alone in the throne room again.

"What's this now?" Bumi asked.

"I don't know, to be honest… He's been under a lot of pressure to do well in school. And… I don't know why I'm defending him. He'll apologize later."

Bumi didn't really remember if school used to stress him out this much, or at all. He always had a pretty relaxed attitude towards responsibility. He did, however, remember that at that age everything annoyed him to no end. The boy would soon be fourteen and Bumi had to make peace with the fact his attitude would only get worse in the next couple of years.

"It's fine," he said. "You handle the geometry, I'll go play in the garden with our baby girl. And we'll talk later."

When Thi Na came down to the ground floor where he waited for her, she was still barefoot. Bumi stopped her before she could run past him.

"Where are your shoes, Speck?"

"I… Forgot."

"Then we'll just have to march up there and get them. Climb up!" Bumi offered her his back and she just jumped right on him, accidentally hitting his spine with her helmet. Bumi didn't voice it.

"To the swings!" she ordered.

"No, we're getting the shoes, remember?"

"I lost them. Again." She leaned in closer to his ear. "I think Mommy's gonna be mad if we tell her…"

"Well, I think she'll notice even if we don't."

"You don't know that."

"Come on, Speck, think. Where did you last see them? Your room? Mommy's room? Your brother's?"

"The garden."

"Are you sure that's right, or do you just want to go there?"

"It's right. I remember now."

If Bumi was being honest, he had his doubts, but he hurried into the gardens anyway. Thi Na cheered as he went faster and faster, running for her swings. To her credit, they did find the shoes in the garden. One was half buried in the sand where she played and the other one was in a tree. Izumi would probably think about how that could possibly happen with so many people watching the girl at all times, but Bumi knew. Little rascals always found a way.

They only had a few hours till sundown to spend playing outside, but the little Princess made sure they used them to the fullest. They played on the swings, then fed the turtle ducks, threw stones into the lake, played catch, hide-and-seek and dug for lost treasure in the sand.

**oooooooooo**

Izumi was relieved when Bumi offered to put Thi Na to bed. She had some papers to read through and then she could go and talk to her son. After the first two documents she could already feel a headache coming on.

She took a break and thought about what she'd say to Iroh. She could understand pressure, better than most people, but he was being plain rude to Bumi. She couldn't let that stand. The boy seemed to dislike Bumi more and more every time he came around. But when she asked him directly…

"Do you have a problem with Bumi?"

She never got an answer. Whatever it was, she probably wouldn't find out today even if she asked. It saddened her to see her son so stressed during summer when he should be having fun with his friends. She really tried not to push him to have perfect grades, but he put enough pressure on himself without her involvement. Being an heir to an empire can do that to a person, she knew.

"Izumi?"

She hadn't even noticed Bumi came into the room and found her with her head in her hands.

"What?"

"Thi Na…" he started. "I can't get her to sleep. I tried, but she won't listen to me. I tried to take the helmet off as a start, but she screamed and scratched me. I don't know…" He didn't finish.

"You don't take the helmet off by force, you never do that!" Izumi got up, realizing she would have to deal with this. Like with everything else.

"So I tried distracting her with reading a bedtime story, but when I told her she threw the book at me. Izumi, I don't know what I did to-"

"Provoke her? Nothing. Just… Watch."

Bumi followed her to the girl's room without a word. Thi Na was there, walking in a circle, talking into her helmet with varying volume levels.

"What is your position? Over. 30 clicks away, on your 6. I don't need excuses, I need results, soldier! Corporal, I am your superior officer!" The girl seemed so invested in her game she didn't even see them enter.

Izumi picked up the book from the floor.

"This is a day book, Bumi. You can't read her a day book now, or she'll never go to sleep."

"What in the world is a day book?"

"This is a fun book about adventures, it gets her riled up. We need a wind down book." Izumi left him there in the doorway and took another book from the shelves while Thi Na did a series of dodging motions like she was under attack.

"Honey, what is she doing?" Bumi asked, looking more confused than ever.

"Playing pretend."

"Thi Na, dear, you want to read this other book with Mommy?" Bumi offered and got completely ignored by his daughter.

She was still talking to herself. "Contact. Wait out. Blue on blue! We have friendly fire!"

"Not like that." Izumi sighed. "Requesting permission for lift off?"

"What is your position?" the girl asked her, acknowledging their presence for the first time.

"Hangar one, on your 6."

"Permission granted," Thi Na said, and only then did Izumi walk up to her and lift the girl briefly, just so she could carry her to the bed. The girl hit the mattress and bounced a bit, giggling. That's when Izumi started slowly taking off the helmet. She couldn't see Bumi's face, but she was sure he was at least a bit offended their daughter let her do it without any fuss.

"I'm not tired, Mommy," the little girl murmured. Izumi took one serious look at her before placing a kiss of her forehead. Her face was, as always, only half tanned since the helmet always hid half of it from the sun.

Izumi showed her the green book in her hands and laid down on the bed. Thi Na found a place next to her. Wishing not to interfere with their routine, Bumi sat down on the floor near the bed. Then Izumi started reading from where they left things last night. It was a lengthy description of a garden on a summer day. She kept sneaking peeks at the little girl next to her to check if she'd fallen asleep. During one check, she caught Bumi staring at her, not their daughter, his eyes showing not a grain of anger, just love.

Thi Na took a bit longer than average to fall asleep, but when they left her room, she was comfortably tucked in and already snoring. Bumi placed a quick kiss on her head before following Izumi out of the room.

He followed her all the way to their bedroom without a word and then closed the door after them before asking:

"Is she like that every night?"

"Every time she needs to go to sleep. Or change. Or wash. Or brush her hair. Sometimes worse... But as you can see, I've found a way around it." Izumi was sure it was pity she saw in his eyes just then. "I don't want the nannies dealing with it. They'd all just go around and talk about her like she's a spoiled brat, she's not. She's sorry for what she does, she just…"

"Why then, does she-"

"She just doesn't think before she acts! She's very sorry afterwards, she just can't get herself to think it through first. Iroh was never like that, if anything he thinks too much."

"I'm sorry." Bumi stepped forward and embraced her. He didn't let go right away. "I didn't know you were having such problems with her."

"I didn't want to ruin our calls while you're away," she spoke into his shoulder. "But I try so hard with her every single day. She's smart and she has the most amazing imagination, but sometimes I wonder… So I took her to a doctor to check if her behavior was normal and instead of supporting me, you tell me I'm making decisions without you." She pulled away to look at him.

"I didn't know…"

"It's hard to make decisions _with you_ when you're never here."

Bumi didn't have an answer to that. He never did.

"So what did the doctor say?" he asked instead.

"He said he's not sure. It could be normal, it could just pass as she gets older."

"Or?"

"It could get worse. Affect her entire life. He said some people never get control over their impulses. And I know that doesn't sound helpful, but he did give me some useful advice on dealing with all of it. After my whole life dealing with anxiety, I didn't want to risk ignoring my daughter's problems, I-"

"I get it. I'm not mad, I have no right to be." He took her hands into his. "But our girl, she's going to be just fine."

"I hope so, Bumi. But she's supposed to start school this year…"

"So what?"

"I can't get her to sit still, to be quiet, to do work. She's so smart. She knows how to read, she just won't do it, unless she wants to. And Iroh… He's become so rude, and he's biting his nails again-"

"I want to hear all about it." He kissed her forehead. "But you look like you need sleep."

"Thank you." Izumi chuckled. "Where did the days when you called me beautiful go?"

"You are beautiful. But in the morning, when you're rested…" Bumi whistled. "Then you're breathtaking…"

"Rested? You little Speck wakes up before dawn every day and then wakes me. And as for now, I need to go check on Iroh. It's past his bedtime, but he refuses to honor it anymore. You can sleep…"

"I'm coming with you."

**oooooooooo**

Of course, Iroh's lights weren't out. They found him sleeping at his desk, his head buried in a Math book. Bumi just watched as Izumi gently woke her son up, only for him to burst into tears when he realized he'd fallen asleep.

"But… I planned it. I was supposed to finish this section today! And I didn't… I… It's too much."

"I know, honey." Izumi wiped the tears from his cheeks. Bumi felt terribly out of place. It felt dumb to just stand there and watch them, but he also wasn't sure if the boy wanted him to contribute. Maybe he shouldn't have come here.

"I told you it was too much and that you were overworking yourself during a _break_…" Izumi said in her gentle _mom_ voice. It took her a few years to get it exactly right, but Bumi thought it was perfect now. But he wasn't exactly objective, he thought everything about Izumi was perfect.

"I know. But I can't give up…" Iroh managed, his crying already quieting down.

"Of course, you can. If something is bad for you, I want you to give up. Actually, I order it! As your mother _and_ as the Fire Lord's regent."

The boy smiled.

"Come on, bed now, young man." She took a step back to allow him to pass.

Iroh looked like he was about to pass Bumi without even a second look, but then at the last second, he turned and hugged the man, tighter than he might have wanted to. Bumi was shocked, but quickly hugged back.

"You were supposed to be here last week." Iroh said. Bumi couldn't believe Iroh even knew that, let alone wanted it.

"I'm sorry, I…" Bumi looked to Izumi, wanting her to cut in, but she just watched, surprised. "I'm here now, Iroh."

Bumi spent so much time worrying about how Thi Na felt about him being late, he didn't even have time to think about Iroh. It was true that the boy had been cold during the past few visits, but he'd never met his father. Bumi was the closest thing the little prince had to that.

**oooooooooo**

Loud applause filled the room as Princess Thi Na climbed onto the stage. Izumi was seated in the first row, and she was probably the only one who still saw the little barefoot girl with the ridiculous helmet, not the beautiful young woman everyone else did.

"Good evening, everyone!" Thi Na's wild hair was half-successfully tied up in a messy bun. She wore no headpiece or jewelry that would indicate she was a member of the royal family, yet everyone knew it. She outgrew losing shoes quite a few years ago, but the dress she wore was still picked by her mother.

"Thank you!" Thi Na started after being handed a glass figurine. "Everyone says it here all the time, but truthfully, I am so thankful I haven't the words!"

This was the Princess' fifth award for literature, at least the fifth major one. She stopped counting the less prestigious ones long ago. As always, she was expected to give a speech, and per tradition she spared a quick smile at her mother in the audience. Today, even her father was there, looking happier than if he'd just won.

"But I'm not new at this… And I know myself and I knew I couldn't just form something on the spot, so I have it written down." Thi Na searched her clothes shortly, then produced a few cards with text from her left sleeve to the audience's great amusement. "Well, it didn't all fit on my palm…"she answered the laughter. It was a joke, but the only reason she was currently wearing long sleeves was the fact she loved writing little reminders on her palms and forearms. Sometimes it was even story ideas, or character inspirations. It made her life easier, but it sure didn't make her look smart and refined. And that was what she was going for tonight…

"On this day…" Her voice came out to quiet and joking. She coughed and added more volume and gravitas. "On this day, I'd like to remember the first award I received, and the story that earned it. I was 13 when I wrote _Blown in the Wind_ and as most of you know it was inspired by the loss of my grandfather, Avatar Aang." Thi Na looked over to her father again, and found him frowning. The happiness wasn't so much gone, as it was hiding. She didn't like to think about it either… Why was it in the speech then?

"It was a dark time for my family," she continued. "But as a great thinker once said: _Sometimes life is like this dark-_" She stopped abruptly, unsure. Then she lowered the cards. "I know you're here for an emotional and motivational speech, but forget that… We have a new, ten-year-old Avatar now, a new hope for all of us. And hope is everything." She only then realized she could have ended that on a quote from her old story, but she pushed on. "Hope… Like the hope my mother had for me even though I was more beast than child most times." Everyone chuckled. "Seriously, I did that woman no favors, so thank you, mother. Thank you! She was the one that suggested I get rid of my daydreaming problem by putting some of it on paper. Little did she know, daydreaming and scribbling it down would be everything I'd do from then on…"

Bumi's smile was back, and Thi Na finally felt like everything was right with the world.

"But I digress…" She knew she'd do that if she left the cards, but there was no going back now. And the people seemed to like it. "People often ask me why I write thousand-page novels when I'm a princess. Well, I tell them to think about who the people in my family are. Really think about it!" She paused for effect. "Let's see… I'm a descendant of not one, but two Avatars, and countless Fire Lords. Although, I'm only second in line for the throne… Thank the Spirits!" People loved that, Thi Na wasn't sure they would. She grinned genuinely once before continuing. "But honestly, no one wants to see me on that throne, least of all me! But I got off track… My family. That's right… We have a dozen powerful benders, great thinkers, war strategists, a math genius, the Fire Lord who redeemed our nation, the Fire Lord who is keeping it in perfect shape, the longest serving Commander in the United Forces and my perfect brother, the soldier. Being any less spectacular than I am was simply unacceptable…

"But all jokes aside, in a family of soldiers, both fighters and thinkers, I'm a writer. Some might say that's disappointing, and maybe it is… I never had the self-discipline to take orders, I didn't get the gift of bending, I was too emotional, too impulsive… But we're all fighting to make the world better, only they have their weapons and I have mine. They can have their elements and their planes, while I bend words, conjure emotions, build worlds and spread ideas."

Thi Na paused to signal she was done, then received another loud applause. Screw the cards, this felt amazing… Her parents were smiling wider than she'd seen them in a long time. Then she noticed Iroh sitting behind them. He came.

She turned and climbed back to the stage, surprising everyone.

"I almost forgot… There will be a party after this like every year and, young ladies, I'd like to direct your attention to the man sitting in the second row in a military uniform. Can we get some light?" Thi Na waved a hand and one of the reflectors moved from her to her brother. Iroh hid his face from the light, attempting to hide the fact he was blushing. "That, ladies, if my very successful, very single older brother, Prince Iroh or Lieutenant Iroh, however you prefer. Do with that information what you will…"

Iroh looked up, but was still embarrassed more than ever before in his life. Izumi was smiling, while Bumi's laughter echoed for at least another minute.

**oooooooooo**

_**I rewrote this so many times, I don't know what's what anymore… I'm not super proud, but I guess it's something. It was supposed to be a look into what Bumizumi's like and their family. And their daughter because this is the first time I wrote anything specific about her.**_

_**I wanted to give her some behavioral issues, since I'm bored of perfect families and children. I had Iroh dislike Bumi, at least on the outside, cause he's a teenager and they do search for something to rebel against.**_

_**Oh, and one of my friends does that notes on the palms and forearms thing and it's so quirky looking and it helps her with time management so much.**_


End file.
